In the leadLiderando en el Alto

In the lead

Northern nabes boast high response rates

“We have had a really great response in Washington Heights and Inwood,” said Julie Menin, here with Congressman Adriano Espaillat.

Look to the north.

One week after the start of the 2020 Census, Northern Manhattan’s response rate has ranked first in New York City.

Of the top ten highest responding census tracts, three are in Northern Manhattan. As of Monday, Washington Heights North was first, with a 30.3 percent response rate—almost double Manhattan’s overall response rate.

Julie Menin, Director of NYC Office of the Census, said a complete count has never been more crucial. “Census funding is directly linked to funding for our hospitals, and for our health care system,” she said.

The city also uses Census data to determine how to respond to an emergency. “It’s so important that with this critical crisis that we are in with COVID that every single New Yorker fills out the Census and fills it out right away,” she said.

As of Wed., Mar. 25th, 21 percent of Manhattan residents have responded. Menin called the number significant. “One week into the Census for 2010, the response rate was 6 percent,” she said.

Menin credits local community groups and elected officials for getting the word out.

NYC’s Census team got granular. It divided the city into 245 neighborhoods and partnered with local community groups within each one. “We have had a really great response in Washington Heights and Inwood,” she said. “The elected officials in that district are completely committed to the Census.”

Outreach has included texts.

Menin singled out Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who has rallied Northern Manhattan residents during the past year. “He has been really singularly focused on ensuring that his district has a really strong response.”

At the onset of the Coronavirus crisis, Menin and Espaillat spoke to 100 doctors from SOMOS Community Care. SOMOS has 3,500 providers citywide, and boasts a patient network of over 650,000 patients throughout New York,with a particularly strong presence in Northern Manhattan. “They were really on the front lines, speaking to families,” she said. “We funded them in large part so they could be key messengers to families all over the city.”

Additionally, Menin’s office has launched a two-day texting campaign, reminding New Yorkers to fill out their forms. Three hundred volunteers sent out over 600,000 texts in one day alone. “That was really incredible for the number of people who said, ‘I’m going to fill it out right now,’” she said.

She called the numbers historic. “We’re the epicenter of COVID nationwide right now. It’s a testament to the hard work and the strong partnerships we have,” she said. “But we have a long way to go. It is absolutely critical to fill out the Census at this time.”

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